Through Thick and Thin, No Matter What
by One Septic Markiplite
Summary: The Turtles are about to make their move against the Shredder in Return to New York, when one of them meets a female mutant. how will this effect the turtles' plans? How will this effect said turtle's life? He seems quite the gentleman, but what if he wants more than friendship? Asked for by a guest named Emily Smith. And now I'm doing it...Hint, hint y'all. REQUEST SOMETHING!
1. Savior in the Shadows

**THIS STORY WAS REQUESTED BY A GUEST WITH THE TITLE _EMILY SMITH. _SO YOU SEE, I _DO _WRITE REQUESTED THINGS! ;)**

**Oh, and Emily, since I don't know exactly how you want your OC to look, I'm going with what I think. Hope you like it!**

**YES, THIS IS A TURTLE/OC ROMANCE FIC. NOT TELLING YOU WHICH TURTLE, BUT AFTER THIS, YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIGURE IT OUT. SIDE NOTE: TAKES PLACE IN THE 2003 UNIVERSE. **

**GOD BLESS AND GOD DAY! **

**~LF221**

=#=#= TMNT PoV =#=#=

_I can't believe my luck! I found a ton of good stuff in the junkyard I always visit. Can't wait to get this stuff home, so I can put this stuff to good use. _

Giddy with excitement, I ran across rooftops, leaping and flipping over the oblivious heads of the people below me. I was a fully stocked ninja arsenal, including shurikens as well smoke bombs of my own invention, and a satchel nearly bursting with goodies, but that hardly slowed me down. I then froze when I heard it. A lady's scream, scuffling, and an evil sort of chuckling. I frowned. It was one of _those _nights. Some creeps were ganging up on a lady, trying to...overpower her, and either me, my brothers, or all of us had to deal with it, without blowing our cover as mutants. Nevertheless, I ran over to the rooftop in the general direction I had heard the scream come from. I looked over, and found two or three Purple Dragons menacing a young lady in baggy jeans, a pair of large Converse shoes, and a _Marvel Comics_ hoodie that hid her face from both me and the Purple Dragons, who mere leering darkly and cat-calling her. Gross. They were backing her up into a corner of this dead-end alley, and there were three little girls, unconscious in the back of the alley. In fact, she tripped over one of their limp bodies, and fell, head making a sickening crack against the concrete, and she unleashed an almost animal-like scream of pain. Yeesh. I stowed my bag on the rooftop, and lept down, taking advantage of her disorientation.

"Hey! Didn't your parents ever tell you not to hit a lady?" I quip, smirk on my face, and bo staff already in hand as the men growl and charge at me. I whack the first one between the eyes, and spin around in a crouch with one leg out, causing the next two to fall down. They got up almost immediately, only for one of them, to crash their skull into my bo staff. I had the slightest twinge of guilt as this one was a lady. But my staff was already swinging to block the sloppy head-swing with a machete that the third and final goon sent my way. Thankfully, it didn't cut through my staff, and I disarmed him with a simple flick of the wrist. And then sent my staff into his midriff, back, and head, and he collapsed against the wall of the alley, out cold. Then, I heard a pained groan coming from behind me. I instantly sheathed my staff, and scurried over to the woman, but as soon as she sat up, I panicked and threw a smoke bomb, and was up on the railing of the first level of the fire escape, hidden in the shadows by the time the smoke cleared. The three little girls got up, as well, sniffing around, prowling around the alleyway before returning to the older girl, who had stubbornly refused to let her hood fall down.

And then, she chuckled weakly.

"I know you're still around here. Somewhere. My sisters and I can still smell you."

I resisted the urge to gasp. These ladies...can smell me?

_Interesting. Very interesting. _

I thought, cocking my head to the side as I struggled to keep myself in check.

"You might as well come out now." She said, tucking her hair behind her ear with one hand in an odd motion, and keeping her hood relatively in place with the other hand. "Please. I want to know who my rescuer is." She added shyly. I smiled, feeling slightly compelled to do just that. I held myself back with thoughts of every other time we had preformed this kind of civic duty. The screams, cries, and running away. It was a routine, one that still stung. I knew that I couldn't reveal myself, but I wanted to, very much. Which surprised me. Why would I care about what this girl wants? It wouldn't be any different than all the other times we had saved someone, anyone, from getting mugged, hurt, or worse. Then, she sighed, shoulders slumping sadly.

"Come, sisters." She said with obvious false force. "We're leaving."

"Alright, sister." Came the slightly raspy voice from the oldest-looking of the three younger girls. Then, I felt a sudden urge to betray my better judgment. I lept down, landing silently in the shadows. Even so, the five girls freeze.

"So..." The oldest young woman chuckles. "You are some kinda ninja?"

"I am." I say, making my voice deeper to disguise it. Raph always teases me about my voice not being manly and intimidating. She turns around. Odd. She looks right at me, although normally, I am practically invisible to the naked eye. But she gazes at me like she knows that I'm hiding in the shadows. "And you are..?" I ask nonchalantly.

"Rocky." She replies. "What's your name?" She asks timidly. I narrow my eyes.

"Not important, really." I almost snap, but hold my voice back. But even with my restraint, the girl flinches back. I sigh.

"Sorry." I say, wanting to hug her for some reason. "I didn't mean to-Please don't-Ugh, I'm such an idiot!" I mutter, mentally slapping myself. Why should it matter that this girl was upset in the least about what I said? I mean, if she saw me for what I really was, she would probably scream, from what I've seen of her personality. If she doesn't just sit there and scream, she'll most likely hit me and take off running. Probably still screaming. She then chuckles.

"You're an interesting fellow, sir. You are mean enough to not tell me your name, but you care enough to not want me upset." She says, tone teasing and light hands on hips as she leans out toward me. As she does, a sliver of hair falls out of her hood, followed almost immediately by a large portion of her bangs. They are a darker brown, with some blonde highlights shining through. She notices her hair, and quickly tucks it back into her hood.

"That's me." I reply, keeping up the deeper-sounding disguise. Call it what you will, but I didn't need this girl to find out more about me than necessary.

"Maybe, maybe not." She replies. Then, she starts swaying. She let out a low moan before collapsing onto the hard cement. I rush over to examine her, leaping over the three other girls. The young lady was out like a light. It was then that I noticed the large red stain on the back o her head. I'd honestly forgotten about that nasty bonk she had taken when I jumped in to save her. I hummed in thought. This girl probably had a concussion, not a bad one necessarily, but a concussion nonetheless. I needed to get her to a hospital. Stat. I slid my arms under her knees and shoulders. And lifted, causing her head to flop back, and her hood to come down, as well. And when I glanced down at her, I nearly dropped her!

Rocky...was...a mutant?

From what I could tell, she was a raccoon that had been exposed to...whatever mutagenic compound caused me and my family's mutation. I blinked. Rocky was...beautiful. She was like no other girl in this city. She was...captivating, and I don't know why. With no other option, I was forced to take her back to the lair with me.

_Oh, boy! This was gonna be...interesting. Leo's gonna freak. And it'll be tough gettin' Splinter to understand, as well. Ugh. They'll sorta get it when I show them that she's a mutant, but still..._

I thought with a groan as I heaved her onto the roof so I could grab my duffel bag of goodies. Slinging it over my shoulder, I resumed my grip on Rocky, and took off in the direction of the warehouse that secretly housed our home once I had landed back in the alley. The three little girls followed me as I ran. I was surprised that they were able to keep up, honestly.

**AND THERE YA HAVE IT! **

**IN TERMS OF PLACEMENT...THIS IS...BEFORE _SEARCH FOR SPLINTER, _BUT OTHER THAN THAT...WHEREVER IT MAKES SENCE TO Y'ALL. ;)**

**THIS IS ACTUALLY A LOT OF FUN TO WRITE! THANKS, EMILY! OH, AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU DON'T LIKE ANYTHING, AND STUFF. LIKE, IF I HAVE MADE ROCKY SOMEHOW OOC, CORRECT ME. IF YOU DON'T LIKE ANY PART OF THE STORY, I'LL SE WHAT I CAN DO, OKAY? HOPE YOU LIKED THIS LITTLE STORY, AND THAT I HAVEN'T MADE ANY MISTAKES. I TRIED TO BE A LITTLE VAGUE ON ROCKY'S APPEARANCE, BECAUSE I AM NOT SURE EXACTLY HOW YOU WANT HER TO LOOK. ;)**


	2. From a Misplaced Kiss

**HERE IS ANOTHER CHAPTER OF _THIS THING WE HAVE. _I REALLY DO HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS STORY, EMILY. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK. I WILL NOT HATE ON YOU IF YOU GIVE ME CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM. REALLY, I WON'T. IN FACT, I'LL LOVE YOU. YOU SEE, I DON'T EXACTLY KNOW WHAT PRECISELY YOU WANT, SO I AM TAKING A WILD GUESS. **

**ANYWAY...ON WITH THE CHAPTER! BTW, I MEANT TO SAY IN BETWEEN _SCION OF THE SHREDDER _AND _SEARCH FOR SPLINTER. _HEH-HEH...**

**GOD BLESS, AND GOOD DAY!**

**~LF221**

Even as I enter the elevator down to our lair, those three little girls in two, I got a bad feeling about what would happen as soon as I stepped off. I would most likely be almost literally pounced on by either Raph, Leo, or...even worse...Master Splinter himself. That would be the worst, though he never gets angry enough to lash out at us most of the time, he can be _extremely _intimidating sometimes. It's the way he _looks_ at us...ugh.

I sigh, even as the elevator beeps softly, just before it opens. I narrow my eyes, glancing around as I slowly move out into the main room. Nobody's in there, so I tentatively peek around once more before taking a chance and full-out sprinting into my laboratory/infirmary. I lay Rocky out on a table, and quickly gather the medicinal supplies needed to treat this concussion. I mentally calculate the time I have left until the others' curiosity would overrule their hesitation to ask me what I was doing. If they had heard my entrance, which was most likely.

While I work, those three little girls are watching me from underneath hoodies of their own. They sit in a little line, peering at me with their heads tilted to the side. How...polite? What was with these girls? There's something...unusual about them...

"What?" I asked as I wrapped Rocky's head in bandages. The oldest girl glanced at her friends. Or are they sisters? It's impossible to tell. Then she glanced back at me.

"You are doing things to our sister. We want to know what." She said simply. I nodded. I didn't want to ask how she knew so much English.

"Your sister, Rocky, got a bad bonk on the head, so I'm going to help it get better." I said, dumbing it down for the girls, who all seemed to be about 5-8-ish.

"By wrapping cloth around it?" The girl pressed. I chuckled.

"You know what? Since we're playing twenty questions here, why not tell me your names?" I asked gently.

"What is 'twenty questions?'" she asked. Again, I chuckled as I worked, nearly done now.

"It's a game. You ask me ten questions, and then I ask you ten. See? Twenty questions in all." I replied, smiling gently at the three little girls. They all nodded.

"Seems fair enough, sir." The eldest said. "What is your name?"

"Donatello. And yours'?" I asked.

"I am called Sakura, the one next to me is Hoseki, and the final one is Okami." The girl replied. I hummed in thought. The names were Japanese. Sakura means Cherry Blossom. Hoseki means Jewel, and Okami is the rough translation of wolf. "Why were you so tense, and paranoid as we entered this facility?" She asked formally. I was impressed by this girl's command of the English language at her young age of...what ever age she was. I decided to bite the bullet and ask about it.

"I, uh, my family is a little protective, ya see. They don't take kindly to any strangers in this house." I explained. Sakura nodded. "How are you able to talk so formally?" I asked. Sakura chuckled.

"Roxanne taught us. She said she didn't want us sounding like idiots." She said, "Why are you named after a Renaissance artist?" She asked. I blinked. They even knew about history?

"My father is fond of the fathers of rebirth, so...he named me and my brothers after them." I said. So far, Sakura had asked three questions, and I had asked two. "Why did Rocky, or Roxanne, give you all Japanese names?" Three to three now. Sakura laughed. There was something about her laughter...it sounded almost like a dog's bark a few times...the shell?

"Her father gave her a love of the Japanese language, and she decided that these names would be appropriate for us." Sakura said. Again...I was impressed. "How are you a talking turtle?" She asked. I chuckled. I knew that question would come eventually.

"I am...not really sure, honestly. My father tells us a story about how he found us in the sewers, and then this canister of glowing green ooze dropped and splashed all over us. Then, ta-da! Here we are. What about Rocky?" I asked, dying to know, for some reason. Seriously, what's with me around this girl?! Anyway, the question tally is now 4-4, I'm pretty sure. That's when I heard a groan. It came from Rocky, and I just had time to take a few steps backward, into the shadows, obscuring details of my appearance from her. I wasn't ready for her rejection. Not after getting to know her sisters a bit.

Rocky sat up blearily, clutching her head.

"Ugh...my head..." She whimpered. She then looked around, breath hitching slightly. "W-wha-Wher-How did-what happened?" She asked, fumbling around and trying to back up, only for her back to hit the wall behind the cot I had laid her out on. I chuckled, and she froze.

"Easy there, miss Rocky. You hit your head. Hard, and-" I said, and chuckles burst from Rocky's lips, cutting me off. Her hand covers her mouth, but it does little to stifle the noise. I narrow my eyes. "What's so funny?" She just chuckles a bit harder.

"Y-your voice. It..." more chuckling, "You're not disguising your voice anymore. It's...nice." She said, cheeks flushing slightly. She then went to tuck her hair behind her ear (I sense it's a nervous habit, but I'm not gonna ask.) and realized that her hood was down. In fact, I had gingerly removed her hoodie, to keep it out of the way (She wore a teal T-shirt beneath it. Rocky also had deep brown hair down to her mid-back, with some natural waves to it...and deep, gorgeous brown eyes to match...). She gasped, and curled up, trying to hide the oddness of her appearance from me. I remained still, despite wanting to comfort her. I can't understand myself around this girl.

"Hey, Rocky!" I called, and she tentatively peeked out of her arms. "It's okay...your hood fell down when I picked you up to help you, and then I had to bring you here, to my home." I quickly explained. She came a little further out of her protective curl. I smiled, though I doubt she saw it.

"Y-you saw...me...and are okay with it?" She asked. "E-everyone who does just screams, hits me, and runs away." She whimpered. I felt my heart reach out to her, oddly. I gulped, and licked my lips. This was the moment of truth. I could only pray she doesn't scream. The timer is going longer and longer the more I am able to keep this girl calm and collected. I don't want to ruin it.

Regardless of the risk, I took a step forward.

"That's okay, Rocky." I said. "I understand." I said, taking another step forward. I could feel the smirk on my face as I came into the light. She let out one solitary squeak. It rang throughout the Lair. I flinched, and mentally prepared myself in the approximately five seconds I had left until someone came charging into...

Yep. There they are. Immediately, I placed myself in front of Rocky, effectively hiding her from view.

"Sorry." She whispered, slipping her hoodie on and flipping the hood up as I gulped right as Leo came thundering into my lab. Odd that he's alone, but I guess everyone else doesn't have the same Something's-Wrong radar Leo has. Regardless, they'll get the hint eventually...

"What?" I asked, knowing I shouldn't be glaring, but I was too angry to restrain myself. Leo chose not be too nosy right off the bat, apparently, and crossed his arms over his plastron. Letting me know he didn't want cheek.

"What was that noise?" I shrugged.

"Accidentally hit my finger with a hammer." I lied. Inwardly, I cringed. It was a terrible lie, but there was no way Leo would accept that I had brought a stranger into our home. No way. Leo scoffed.

"Then where is the hammer?" He asked, smug smirk on his face. I groaned.

"It, uh..." I stammered, shifting from foot to foot. "Do. Not. Freak out, bro." I warned, dropping the horrid lie, glaring at him for good measure. Leo narrowed his eyes and nodded.

"Move." He commanded, and practically moved me himself, getting in my face. I sighed, and took a step off to the side.

"What the shell?" Leo snapped, making Rocky flinch. She waved nervously. "You brought a _girl_ here?!"

"I can explain!" I snapped back, and Leo glared at me. I sent an apologetic look toward Rocky before gripping her hood, and letting it fall to her shoulders. Leo blinked, and gasped, lips parting with shock.

"So that answers why she's here, but-"

"Roxanne." I muttered, not caring about cutting Leo off. He looked at me.

"Sorry?" He asked, eyeridge raised in confusion.

"Roxanne is her name, though she prefers Rocky. Right?" I asked, looking over at my new friend for confirmation. She nodded, and I continued. "Some Purple Dragons had cornered her, and I intervened after she got a concussion." I explained, giving Leo an incredibly short version.

"Exactly. Which is why your...sibling, I'm guessing was forced to bring me here, as opposed to a regular hospital." Rocky added, standing up on only slightly shaky legs. I gave her my arm, which she leaned against gratefully. Shell...her fur...it's so soft. "And you are?" She asked politely, extending her hand. She kept up a brave face, but I could tell that she was incredibly uncomfortable. Leo hesitantly reached out his hand, and shook it.

"Leonardo, or just Leo. Whichever." he said, sounding like he was forcing the politeness to his voice, and trying to keep his hostility on a short leash. While I should have been grateful for that, I couldn't find it in me. A part of me wanted to slap him for his behavior toward miss Rocky, but a larger part knew it was folly. And...just plain stupid. Leo sighed, arms crossing themselves over his chest.

"Well...as long as Rocky's here, she may as well meet the guys." He said, leaving in a slight huff. I turned toward the younger-looking raccoon-girl.

"Is that alright with you?" She seemed to lighten up, and beamed back at me.

"Of course, sir. I guess..." I chuckled, realizing that she still didn't quite know my name. Looking back, I realized it was a stupid move. I mean, it's not like she could just look me up online, and get anything. I know. I've checked. Regularly.

"'Don' will work just fine." I muttered before I lead her out to the rest of our humble abode. Rocky beamed a little brighter, and I swear my heart skipped a beat.

_She's so beautiful...wait...where's that coming from? _

Shaking my head subtly, I showed Rocky the kitchen, bedrooms, dojo, and anything else in our lair. But I really wanted to show her the city as I experienced it every night. But it was daytime, so...I can't. We found Mikey in the living room, playing some video game, as usual. How he played _one_ game on at least _twenty_ screens, _and_ kept up his high scores was beyond me. Rocky gasped.

"Is-is that..._Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess?!"_ She asked as she flopped down on Splinter's recliner. He wasn't around, so...I didn't have the heart to tell her not to sit there. Mikey abruptly paused the game, gawking at my new friend in utter shock. I braced for the girly scream, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Y-you...you know this game?" Mikey asked slowly, and Rocky started shuffling her feet awkwardly, clearly nervous.

"Y-Yeah, I do." Then, things clicked in Mikey's brain, and he stared down at her in shock.

"Wait...how'd you get here?" He asked. I came around, and stood beside Rocky.

"I brought her here after she was attacked by some stupid Purple Dragons." I explained quickly. Mikey's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Hate those goons." He growled, then went back to smiling. "Well, ma'am, you're safe now!" He said in an overly-dramatic tone. "Welcome to the Hamato home!" He cried, waving his arm at everything around him, then returned his attention to Rocky. "Name's Michelangelo, but everyone calls me Mikey." Rocky chuckled, but it had a nervous undertone. She fiddled with her fingers, and kept her gaze to the floor.

"Mine's Roxanne, but everyone calls me Rocky." Mikey then went in for an enthusiastic hug. Rocky returned it with slight hesitancy. I huffed.

"Hey, Mikey. Enough, please! Yer gonna choke her!" I growled. Then paused. What's with this anger? It's just a hug...a rather close one, but...a hug. Why am I this upset about just one hug?! Nevertheless, Mikey released my friend, and I cleared my throat. "Do you know where Raph is?" Mikey shrugged.

"Dunno. I think he was brooding in his room 'til patrol time, last I saw." I nodded.

"Are you hungry, Rocky?" I asked, and the young lady thought about it for a moment.

"Uh...yeah, actually. If it's not too much trouble, that is..." She trailed off.

_Man...she's **gorgeous** when she blushing..._

Shaking that thought away, I went to the kitchen, and brought out our leftover pizza. It still looked okay, though I had dated it to earlier this week sometime. It was Friday, meaning to wouldn't last much longer.

"Is pizza okay?" I called to the living room.

"Whatever is fine, really, Don. I don't want you to go through any trouble, just for me." She called back, and Mikey gave an extra loud 'awww'. I wanted to smack him. Just...cus.

_I'd go through any trouble for you, Rocky...ugh! Where are these things coming from?!_

I thought, putting a few slices on the plate, and put it in the microwave. I, too, wanted to eat. I then turned to see Rocky, leaning against the doorway.

"Hey." I greeted, smiling.

"Hey." She replied, walking into the kitchen, followed by those three littler girls that had followed me. "I just...wanted to introduce you to my sisters." She explained, tucking her hair behind her ear with that gorgeous blush of hers. I chuckled.

"I've, ah...I've already met them. While I was treating you, I mean. I just wrapped yer head." I said, rubbing the back of my head. Geez, why can't I talk normally around her?! The girls laughed, and I felt heat rising in my cheeks. I was saved, though, by the 'ding' of the microwave. I whirled around, and whipped the door open with more force than was _really _necessary. I heard Rocky bark at her sisters to 'stop laughing at the poor fool'. And more heat rose. I bleakly wondered if that's all Rocky thought of me as, but shook such thoughts off, and slipped my slices onto a separate plate, and finally turned around, to find three little wolves staring back at me! I nearly dropped the plates, but held it together. I mean, it's not the weirdest thing I've seen, to be sure. Rocky giggled, tucking her hair again, though it was already behind her ear. As I suspected, it was just a nervous habit. Like my rambling. I tend to do that when in a stressful situation.

"Do you have any Root Beer?" Rocky asked politely. "We love Root Beer with our pizza, but haven't really gotten the chance to have it for a while." I chuckled. When _didn't_ we have Root Beer? I grabbed a six-pack of _A&amp;W_ cans from the fridge. Rocky grabbed the plates and returned to the living room with me. Mikey was jealous of our food, and I told him he could go get his own. He left, grumbling about how I'll 'get food for my lady friend, but not my own brother'. I told him to shut up, and he instantly ran off to the kitchen, fearful of the consequences.

"Sorry if he seems a little...overwhelming." I apologized, blowing my pizza off. Rocky giggled.

"He's fine, really. You should see the girls after sugary foods." She muttered, scared expression evident. I laughed aloud.

"Now, if you don't wanna see something very, very scary, you should _never_, _ever _under any circumstances, give Michelangelo coffee." I warned, and felt myself laughing like a kid again. Rocky joined in, and I wanted to narrow the space between us, til it was nothing.

WHOA! The SHELL?! Where did THAT come from?!

I stuffed the tip of my slice into my mouth before anything could happen. I then placed the slice back onto my plate.

"Uh...I'm not sure if that's still...good or not. I mean, we bought it sometime earlier this week, so..." I trailed off, rubbing the back of my head. Rocky chuckled, flicked her hair behind her ear unnecessarily (yet _gorgeously_, might I add) and gave me a warm smile that made heat rise up into my cheeks.

"Don...this is fine, really." Rocky said, and placed her hand over mine. I blushed harder, and prayed she wouldn't notice. She then, noticed our (or, should I say, Mikey's) collection of DVDs. Sucking down a large bite of a slice of pizza, Rocky brought the container onto her lap. She flicked through the cases for a minute or two before drawing one out.

_Beauty and the Beast. _

What a classic. Mikey was so sad when it looked like the Beast had died. Then he literally danced around the room for five minutes when Belle's confession saved his life.

"Would you mind watching this with us? We haven't seen it in a while, and..." She said, tucking her hair behind her ears once more. I got the feeling she wasn't asking for anyone but herself.

"Sure thing! I mean, no...I-I don't. Heheh." I giggled like a little girl, completely helpless in the face of her blushing.

I wonder if this could be considered a cliché. Like, having some guy and a girl sit down and watch some flick. I feel like it could be. Rocky carefully saved Mikey's game (after calming Mikey down after he heard that we were going to watch a movie). She came over and plopped down beside me with only slight hesitancy. My heart stuttered to keep up with my racing thoughts as she settled right beside me, her plate of pizza in her lap. The movie started, but I wasn't really watching.

I was too busy watching the mesmerized look Rocky gave the screens.

And wishing she was gazing at me that way.

=#=#=#=#=

"_**Beauty and the Beast..."**_

Mrs. Potts sang out as Belle and the Beast waltzed across the enormous ballroom. I hummed along to the catchy tune, smirking slightly as I watched the un-spoken romance played out. I then felt a hand upon mine. I whirled my head to find Rocky gazing back at me with timid determination shining in those chestnut depths.

"May we...dance?"

Is this some kinda joke?! Of _Course _I wanted to dance with her! Why would she think I _wouldn't _want to dance?! Shaking subtly, I nodded, and we stood. Mikey had convinced the three little girls to check out his comic collection a while ago, so we were alone in the room. That helped boost my confidence immensely as I hesitantly wrapped my arms around Rocky's slender waist, and box-stepped around the room with my new friend, and I delicately spun her when she indicated she wanted to be spun, and I must say...heat rose in my face as I held her in my arms. My head inched subtly closer and closer...

until I pulled her back up, trying to hide my rosy cheeks. As soon as the song ended, Rocky slipped easily from my arms, and resumed her position on the couch. I joined her, only for her to lean her head against my shoulder! I tried not to giggle goofily.

"My dad and I would always waltz at that scene. It was a fun time, especially since he practically had to bend over backwards." She said, giggling like an angel.

I just sighed contentedly, and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, and was now able to fully relax around her. At least...for now.

"**Please...please...please, don't leave me. I...love you..."**

As Belle's shaky voice filled the room, and the brunette clutched the Beast's dying chest, I heard Roxanne whisper the lines, sounding as grief-filled as Belle. And, as I searched her face for any sign of a tear, I saw that she was gazing right me from the corner of her eye!

Again, I felt my heart go a thousand BPM, and I fixed my gaze upon the screen, devoting my full attention to the sobbing figure of the distraught Disney princess on the screen. I shifted slightly awkwardly, gaze still locked on the screen like nothing could tear me away.

_Why was she looking at me? Was she trying to tell me something? Was she dropping a hint? Or was she simply reciting the lines, and checking my reaction? _

Chewing my lip, I was left with several questions.

=#=#=#=#=

I never really got my answer. After the movie ended, we carried our empty cans and plates into the kitchen, and rinsed the plates and tossed the cans out.

That done, we were left to decide where my new friend would be sleeping.

Shell! Never thought of that. I guess I'll take the couch, and she can sleep in my room for now. I wouldn't feel right condemning her to that lumpy excuse for a mattress in my lab. Mind set, I went to make sure my room was worthy of such a fine occupant.

As usual, it was immaculate. After all, I hardly went in there. I mainly slept on the cot in the lab after my caffeine crash.

And so, after merely flitting about, making sure Rocky wouldn't have any complaints whatsoever, I slipped out and rejoined my new friend, who was advising Mikey while he played that _Twilight Princess_ game he insisted on getting disguised and buying for himself.

And guess who had to play the older brother that drove his crazy, game-obsessed little brother to the store?

ME.

Not that I'm bitter, mind you. Rocky was so cute when she was trying not to show her absolute adoration of this game. *Sigh*

But, sadly, it was about time for our patrol. Almost. Five minutes more, tops.

"My son..." Came the voice of our Sensei and father, Master Splinter, came from nearly directly behind me. I lept around five feet into the air, and whirled to face an angry and confused rat. I had forgotten that dad hadn't met Rocky. "Who is this stranger?" He asked, trying to mask his fury behind a forced polite tone. I started quacking subtly as I stiffly bowed.

"S-she was being attacked by Purple Dragons, so...I helped, and then she got a nasty concussion, and when I went to take her to a hospital, I found that she's...one of us." My father raised his eyebrow, in synch with Mikey and Rocky's rising from the couch. The two came over, and Mikey bowed in respect, leaving Rocky to awkwardly shift her weight, nervously wondering what to do.

"'One of us'?" Splinter repeated. I nodded, then gestured to Rocky. Now that she was closer, father got a look at her...unique features. He then nodded. "I see. And where do you suppose this young lady will stay?" Splinter snapped. I shuffled my feet, scratching the back of my head awkwardly.

"I-In my room, father. I was gonna sleep out here or in my lab until more...permanent arrangements can be made." Rocky gasped and came around to face me.

"Wait...I was thinking _I_ would sleep on the couch, Don! I don't wanna kick you out of your own room." She said. I smiled.

"No sweat, Rocky. I usually spend the night in the lab, anyway." I assured her. Splinter hummed in thought, running his fingers through his beard.

"Donatello is correct, Miss Rocky. Now...allow me to introduce myself. I am these turtles' father and teacher, Master Splinter." Just then, my sisters, Lupa and Asami, came walking out, panting slightly. They must have just finished some one-on-one training with dad.

Either that, or they had just finished some form of punishment.

"And I am their older sister, Asami. This is Lupa, the youngest of the six of us." Asami said, grinning wildly. She shook Rocky's hand as Roxanne introduced herself. "Sorry. We were training. Otherwise, we would have come out immediately." Lupa playfully shoved Ami's shoulders.

"She's just teasing. We had no idea you were here until dad suddenly left, right as we were nearly finished with the assigned training."

And with that, the girls were left to be filled in by Rocky as Leo came from his room.

Odds are, he had been meditating. As soon as Ami and Lups saw him, they launched into the tale, 'before he loses his temper' as Ami put it. Leo then nodded, silencing our sisters' words.

He turned toward my friend. "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I'm sorry." He said, bowing to Rocky. She blushed, and tucked at her hair.

"N-no problem, Leo." She muttered. Before I could stop myself, I placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you want to hit the hay, Rocky? I mean...it's been a pretty exciting day, and..." I asked, rubbing the back of my head. Slightly flustered, Rocky pondered for a moment.

"W-why yes, Don. I _am _feeling a little worn out." She then turned toward the other gathered mutants. "Goodnight, everyone!" Then she walked off toward my room, and I went to grab my staff from the Dojo before leaving for a patrol, thinking of Rocky's gorgeous blushing smile, her giggles all the while.

=#=#=#=#=

As soon as I closed Don's bedroom, I sunk into his feather mattress. It was quite warm, and comfortable...

Like it's owner, I mused. Indeed. Don certainly _was_ a gentleman. The most gentlemanly of them all toward me. I found myself wanted to make excuses to hang around him, despite my normal shyness...

His gentle, concerned attitude...his gentle, caring nature...these were certainly wonderful qualities for anyone to have, but...they just seemed so...right on Don. I honestly enjoy his company far more than the others', though they were all wonderful in their respective ways.

But I shook my head clear of those thoughts. It was far too soon to be...feeling anything toward him, right?

Right? If I thought about my day in a calculating light...I only suggested B_eauty and the Beast_...because I wanted more time alone with Donnie. Was that so wrong?

I laid down and snuggled deeper into the mattress. It smelled of Don, and that fact eased my nerves, and allowed for me to settle down for the night. I dreamed of our waltz, especially when Don's face eased down toward mine, and he had that dreamy expression...I had thought Don wanted to kiss me, but then...he pulled away, leaving me to wonder...

Did he...like me? I thought I had dropped a pretty big bomb when I whispered Belle's confession, looking at Don. He had noticed, and then fixed his gaze squarely set on the screen. And...was he...blushing? He was so handsome and adorable when he blushed. Granted, he was handsome anytime, but when he was blushing, coupled with that smile...he made my heart pound out of my chest.

=#=#=#=#=

That patrol was...difficult. I had been so distracted with thoughts of Rocky...I had slipped up, and gotten a bad gash down the back of my leg as I dodged an attack. I had been able to take that scumbag down, but...my leg was still oozing blood. I needed to treat it as soon as possible, so Leo told me to head home. I sat on the edge of my cot, and wiped my leg off with a towel. It immediately started turning red again, so I grabbed a bottle of disinfectant. Dabbing it into the bottle, I wiped it across my leg. Instantly, I gasped loudly in pain. This _hurt_! A lot!

Nevertheless, I continued disinfecting my leg, and searched for bandages. My search turned up nothing, and I thought back to when I was treating Rocky. I had thought that I had more bandages, but...apparently I didn't. I remembered my stash...in my dresser drawer...in my bedroom...where Rocky was certainly fast asleep. Cursing myself, I slipped out, towel tied around my leg for the moment. Easing my door open, I slipped in on silent feet, and headed for my dresser. Pulling it open, I searched for the cotton fabric. Finding a roll, I eased the drawer closed again, and turned to head back out. Unfortunately, my foot found some slick fabric on the smooth cement flooring, and it gave out beneath my foot. Before I could catch myself, I fell to the floor, my shell cracking loudly against the floor, and I let out a sharp squeak of agony as my leg met the harsh floor. I distantly heard Rocky's gasp as she came rushing back to reality.

Shell!

**=#=#=#=#=**

As Don's face neared mine once more, he suddenly dropped me with a sharp squeak-like cry of agony. My elbow crashed hard into the cement floor, but I hardly noticed. My eyes were fixed on Don's pain-filled chocolate orbs. He opened his mouth once more, and a loud crashing sound came out.

I found myself in Don's darkened bedroom, gasping as reality came flooding in again. I had been facing the rest of the bedroom, and saw a dark mass curled in agony on the floor. Reaching over, I fumbled for the lamp switch as the mass whimpered in pain. Turning the lamp on, I found Donnie curled on the floor, clutching his leg, which was wrapped in a bloody towel!

"Oh, my-Don!" I cried as lept off the bed, and tried to pry Don's hand from his leg. He let go, and I eased the bloody rag off, earning another squeak of pain from the turtle on the floor. Grimacing, I continued to remove the rag, and found a horrid gash, running across Don's shin. Gaping once more, I sat there, terror written on my face. What had Donnie been doing that had earned him such an injury? Why had he come into my-uh, _his-_bedroom? Then, as his hand unclenched, a roll of bandages fell from it. I blinked. He kept bandages in here? Nevertheless, I helped him sit up, and leaned him against the bed. Then, grabbing the roll of cotton bandages, I set to work. I wrapped Don's leg snugly, and tied it off securely. I had to force myself to ignore his heart-wrenching cries of pain. Once I was done, Don started trying to talk.

"R-Rocky. So-sorry-" I put my finger to his mouth. He had lost a lot of blood. He needed as much rest as he could get.

"Shh, Don." I soothed, and eased him up so he was sitting on the edge of his mattress. It was a testament to his condition that he made no effort to resist. I eased him down, and laid the sheets gently over top of him. I guessed where his cheeks were, and went in. It was purely a gut reaction. I kissed my sisters goodnight every night, and just leaned in. However, it became apparent that Don moved his head ever so slightly as he moved deeper into the sheets. As such, I missed his cheeks, and ended up kissing his lips! Heat flushed into my cheeks. His lips were only slightly rough, but smooth at the same time. They tasted like pepperoni and root-beer...It seemed that they were made to fit into mine...

I pulled away within two seconds and dashed out. I eased the door closed, and leaned against it, panting.

What had I just done?

=#=#=#=#=

As soon as Rocky had finished wrapping my leg, she eased me up, and sat me down on the edge of my bed. As much as I wanted to resist, and have her take me to the couch, I found that I was too light-headed and dizzy to even think about resisting as she laid me down, slipping the covers over me with a practiced arm. I eased down further into the mattress. They smelled like Rocky, and I found myself getting into a more comfy position, heedless of Rocky's face, inching toward mine. As I moved my face, I felt warm, soft lips meet mine. They tasted of cherry chap-stick and root-beer. I could feel the heat of Rocky's cheeks from where she was, and before I could manage to wrap my arms around her neck, drawing her into an embrace, she was gone, easing the door closed as she went. I heard her back thump softly against my door, and soon after felt my consciousness fall into darkness.

=#=#=#=#=

I walked in a daze, fingers on my lips (still tasting Don's lips, still feeling them pressed against mine) out to the living room. I found Sakura, Hoseki, and Okami curled up together, surrounded by a tangle of sheets, arms and legs failed about. Smiling, I reached down and pulled off the sheets before settling them over my sisters once more. Thinking back to me doing this in Don's room, my cheeks flared up, and I used an extra blanket or my covers as I curled on the couch, slowly drifting off to sleep, dreaming of our accidental kiss...and wishing I had stayed to enjoy it...

=#=#=#=#=

The next morning, I found my head slightly pounding, and my mouth and throat feeling dry. I felt my lips gingerly, still feeling Rocky's cherry and root-beer lips against mine, leaving them tingling long after she was gone. Smiling like a moron (which, I suppose, I was) I sat up, and groggily made my way out to the kitchen to get a pot of coffee going.

As I passed the living room, I found Roxanne, curled up on the couch, her one blanket tangled about her feet. I carefully eased it off her, and tucked it around her again, blissfully watching her face relax from it's previous grimace.

"Ddoonn..." She murmured sleepily, and my heart began pounding rapidly against my chest and plastron, heat rising in my cheeks. I backed away slowly before turning on my heel and racing silently into the kitchen. Biting my lip, I resolved to not say a word about either last night or what just happened as I reached for the coffee grounds.

=#=#=#=#=

_Again, my lips were pressed against Don's, except this time, I moaned, and allowed Don's arms to wrap around my neck, and he pulled me into a passionate embrace, deepening the kiss. We stayed like that until we were gasping for air. _

"_I love you, Roxanne..." He breathed. I felt my heart pound wildly out of control. _

"_I-I...Love you, too, Donatello." I said, guessing his full name due to Master Splinter's affiliation with Renaissance artists. We embraced again, and remained cuddling and kissing well into the night, when Don finally fell asleep, leaving me to cuddle against his firm chest lovingly. This was meant to be, this thing we share...it was true. He pulled the covers more comfortably over me. _

"_Rocky..." He muttered as his eyes closed. _

"_Don..." I replied, letting our mere names convey what I wanted to say, but couldn't to my new boyfriend. _

Then, some kinda beeping woke me up, and I sat up groggily, and found myself back on the couch in the living room, not in Don's embrace...

Disappointment flooded me, and I frowned as I went into the kitchen. I found Donnie inside, much to my joy, and he was cracking eggs into a measuring cup, adding various seasonings as he worked. Beside him was a cutting board and a half-eaten loaf of bread. Smiling, I came over and picked up the knife in one hand, the other tentatively reaching for Don's smooth shell, rubbing one hand up it slowly. Don tensed, and whirled to meet my grin.

"Good morning." I greeted. His cheeks flushed, and he then went back to cracking eggs, eyes still wide in surprise.

"Good...morning, Rocky. How'd you sleep?" He asked politely, stuttering a little. Had I gone too far?

"Better after our kiss." I replied honestly. Now I've done it. Last night was the best rest I had had in a while. Don blushed a much darker shade of red, and nearly dropped the salt grinder into the bowl. I rubbed his back again, blushing myself, and tucked my hair behind my ear before going back to cutting slices of bread, cursing my unexplained and uninvited boldness. He then finished cracking eggs, and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, a dreamy sigh escaping his lips. Although I normally would have quailed and slapped any man who tried this bold move on me, I found myself sighing in pleasure instead. I cut one more slice before crossing my arms over top of his own. Then, I wriggled around in Don's arms, and before my courage could fade away, I stood a little higher, and gave him another kiss. He had certainly earned it in my eyes. He moaned and wrapped his arms around my neck instead, running his fingers through my hair as my arms snaked around his waist, my fingers barely reaching each other over his shell. All too soon, we had both run out of breath, and we drew apart, albeit reluctantly.

"We're a couple now." Donnie mused. Not a question. A statement. His arms tightened a little, almost protectively.

"Oh, yeah." I breathed back, leaning my forehead against his. We kissed again, and then heard a muffled snicker. We broke apart hastily, and found my sisters gathered together, shoulders shaking in suppressed laughter. Then, they let it out.

"It's about time, Rocky." Hoseki mused.

"We were wondering when it would happen, honestly." Okami mused. I giggled, blushed, and cleared my throat as I put the first two slices of bread into the toaster. I blushed scarlet, and giggled goofily as Don cooked the eggs on the stove, also laughing nervously.

"Wait...when what would happen, bro?" Came a new voice. I turned to see Mikey standing in the doorway, rubbing his eyes, which held a curious and mischievous glint about them. Again, a nervous chuckle rose from my throat.

"Donnie and Rocky, sittin' in a tree..." Sang Sakura, and the other two girls joined in before me and Don could clamp a hand over their mouths. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Knock it off, girls!" I barked, but they merely fell about laughing all the harder.

**WAS THIS EVER FUN TO WRITE! I WAS GIGGLING LIKE A FOOL WHILE IMAGINING THE AWKWARD MISPLACED KISS...THEN TOYED WITH THE AFTERMATH...**

**HOPE YOU LIKE IT, EMILY!**

**~LF221**


	3. Plan of Attack

**HERE IS THE THIRD CHAPTER FOR Y'ALL! I DEEPLY APOLOGIZE FOR THE LACK OF UPDATES HERE! HERE WE GO! OH, AND IN MY OPINION, DONNIE COULD ACTUALLY BE THE MOST SENITIVE TURTLE. LIKE, THE MOST EMOTIONALLY FRAGILE. IN MY OPINION, WHEN 2K3 DON FEELS SOMETHING, IT'S ALL OR NOTHING. THAT'S WHY HE HIT IT OFF. AND UNDERNEATH ROCKY'S SHYNESS, SHE'S JUST AS PASSIONATE. THAT'S WHY THIS ESCALATED SO QUICKLY, I GUESS. ENJOY! THIS GOES WITH A PERSONAL THEORY: BEFORE EVERY HUGE MISSION (EI: THE INVASION OF SAKI'S TOWER) THERE WOULD BE, AT THE BARE MINIMUM, A FEW DAYS TO PLAN EVERY DETAIL OUT, AND ENSURE THEY KNEW AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE BEFORE DIVING IN.**

**GOD BLESS AND GOOD DAY!**

**~LF221**

"Wait...you do _what_, _every night_?!" I demanded, hands on hips. Don sighed, his tired fingers rubbing the bridge of his nose. It's amazing how quickly since getting here I've gotten over being shy and reserved...and all that that implies with me and Don...gosh, that guy...he's something, alright. I'm not sure if his brothers and sisters know about our relationship, but I get the feeling at least the girls do.

"I told you. We patrol the city, guard it against any and all threats, particularly those from the Foot clan." He said it so casually, like this was saying his family goes out to eat every night. Wow...

"Who want nothing more than to be rid of you and your family?" I ask blankly, the full impact not quite hitting me yet. It has been nearly exactly a day since I found Donnie collapsed in his bedroom (though I had been borrowing it at the time), blood pooling off his leg, staining the rug he had over his floor a nasty red color. The leg has healed nicely so far, and somewhat faster than normal due to some genetically enhanced something-or-other in his blood. It was nearly completely healed, really.

Don spoke, snapping me out of my reverie, with a subtly nervous twinge to it.

"That's the one." I gulped. The full impact was hitting me now. This was an evil man who has now devoted his vast resources and connections to get rid of my love and his family. And this whackjob has a _lot_ of resources, from what Donnie described. Then, Don smiled that disarming, loving smile. "But we haven't seen him or his goons for a little while now," His smile faded, and was replaced with a bitter frown, "although that probably means he's planning more crimes." He said through gritted teeth. His eyes now blazed with a fury that sort of frightened me. I rubbed his shoulder.

"So that means more patrols?" Don's eyes narrowed.

"Yeah. They haven't been as active lately, but still, the Foot steal and rob...And we're supposed to never let them see us at all, not to even intervene, because we want as much of an element of surprise as possible going into...ugh, this is difficult." He groaned. "Forget I said anything." I cut him off with a kiss, suddenly feeling bold.

"Don, it's alright. Like you said, you four deal with this all the time, right?" I asked sweetly, trying to get his mind off his worries for a while, at least. Don slowly nods "Come on. Let's get some lunch." He frowns.

"Can't."

"Why not?" Don doesn't say anything, and heads into his lab. I huff, but am too timid to press him, given the intense look on his face.

"We're kinda planning a huge invasion into enemy territory. Don's been focusing on planning it since we got back." Came a voice, belonging to the youngest Hamato. I turn, and frown at the orange-banded turtle.

"What?" I surprise myself with the amount of calmness I posed the question with. Mikey shrugs.

"We've just gotten back from...a kind of vacation in the country. Shred-head hit us pretty hard, and we...needed to get out of the city to recover." My eyes went even wider, though if it was due to the depression and general melancholy of the youngest turtle, or the fact that Mikey and the others talked of fighting and invading like they were everyday occurrences.

"Whoa..."

"Yeah. The Foot never found this place, though, thanks to Donnie's security measures. We've decided to take the fight to him, and invade his Tower of Evil, as I call it." He continues, tone nonchalant and almost care-free, but I can hear his worry and anxiety underneath the calm facade. "Donnie went out to get more equipment for the plan when he bumped into you." I flushed.

"So I'm setting back your plans?" Mikey blanched. His arms waved wildly.

"No, no! Not at all! In fact-"

"Mikey, where'd my weights get put?!" Calls a grumpy, deep voice with a Brooklyn accent. Mikey rolls his eyes.

"How should I know?" He calls back, moving toward the Dojo. The second voice growls.

"You were dah las' one tah use 'em, knuckle-head!" And with that, a fourth turtle (this one in a red bandana) came storming out of the Dojo, and I backed away subconsciously. Mikey moved into the Dojo before the unknown turtle could see me, and the door closed. Within minutes, Mikey came back out. He was slightly mad looking.

"Raph always assumes that I hide his stuff..." He growled under his breath. I took another step back. I didn't like the serious, mad side to these normally friendly and caring turtles. Mikey then smiled reassuringly at me. "That's my brother, Raph. He's kinda moody. He thought I had hidden his weights, but they were right beside the weapons rack, as usual..." I nodded, unsure of what precisely he was talking about, then Asami came into the room.

"Where's Leo?" She asked no one in particular. She had the intense look I've seen so frequently since I got here. I guess now I know why...

"Uh...his room?" Mikey guessed.

"Thanks!" Ami called as she jogged off to the bedroom in question. She had wooden tonfa strapped to her back, and two more fighting knives tucked into her belt in addition to her tomahawks and ninjaken. I was reminded of just how much of an extra wheel I was. I flitted about instead of at least trying to help.

Something I need to fix. Screwing up my courage, I walked toward the lab. Don was hunched over his desk, the blazing light of a blowtorch making it hard to distinguish any features. I blinked a few times as I sneaked over, and wrapped my arms around his neck carefully. He squeaked and nearly dropped the torch, but managed to keep a grip on it, and turned it off within seconds.

"Rocky! You scared me!" He breathed, but sagged a little into my embrace. I smiled, and kissed his cheek.

"Sorry, Don. What can I do to help?" Don's eyes flicked to mine. The intense look was still there, but less...prominent. Good.

"Nothing." That wasn't good. He needs to loosen up a little. I know I can at least hand him everything he needs. My dad was a bit of a grease monkey, before...before he left for Cali, leaving my mom in shambles, depressed to the point of...of suicide. Geez, even after all these years...I can't even...go there.

"Don...I know this is a big thing y'all are doing, and seeing as I never really learned enough self-defense and martial arts to take on an army of highly trained ninjas...I'm gonna do what I can to make sure you and your family make it home safe." I said, smiling again and kissing him softly. Don returned the kiss.

"I know, Rocky, but...I just...I dunno...there are so many unknowns...so many things that could blow up in our faces...how can I plan to lead my own family in there, with so many variables I haven't even thought of yet?" I was overwhelmed with sympathy and respect for this handsome turtle...this lover boy of mine. He had such a big heart. I gave him another kiss that spoke of my unshaken faith in Donnie's plans, even if I haven't really seen any of the plans. But if I know one thing based on my time here...it's this: if anyone can pull this off...it's these guys. They can and will do it.

"I love you. Now stop worrying, and get out there and save the world." I know they'll return home safe and sound. But I just can't help but...worry, especially for Mikey and Don. They're the youngest two members, and, well...Don's my boyfriend, so...

Don't assume I'm not worried about Leo and Raph, as well! Geez, no! I am, I really am! And Master Splinter, who has decided to go with his sons...just in case...

Man...this is serious...I mean...they might not come back...ever. They might, Lord forbid...die...all of them...

Wow. This just hit me. I give Don another kiss. "To remember me by, when you're out there, fighting evil and winning."

"Because of our love, my dear!" Don replies, with a dramatic voice, pose and face on that makes me laugh. I playfully shove him, blushing slightly at the way he called me his 'dear'. It was so...enchanting. He laughs, and slides effortlessly underneath a large van that looks more like a tank. "Hey, babe, hand me that size seven screwdriver, will ya?" He calls. I chuckle, blushing at the pet name, and place the requested tool in his hand. This goes on for a solid hour or so before we call it quits and I make sandwiches for everyone. I grab a six-pack of root-beer (the last one) before heading into the dining/living area. We eat, chatting and laughing. When we're done, I rinse the plates, and Don throws the cans away. Then, we head back into the lab to do some last-minute work on the Battle-Shell, as Don told me it was called, my sisters coming in to help, as well. They wriggled into the tight spaces with hoses that need to be connected in hard-to-reach places. Apparently, this Battle-Shell thing has been around since the Hamato boys' first trip top-side. Once done, we sit at the table again to relax finally.

And then, the doors to the Lair opened, and out came two humans! I squeaked, and hid behind the counter.

"Guys?" The female said. "Where are you?" She asked, coming to peek inside the lab and smiled at Don. "Oh. There you are. Where's the—oh. Hello." She said, spotting me. I stood sheepishly. "It's nice to meet you. Don't worry. After these turtles, you are hardly the weirdest thing I've ever seen." She said with an easy smile. I was taken aback. "...Did I not tell you that Don texted me when you woke up?"

"Oh. Uh, I'm Rocky. I suppose you'd like to meet my sisters, too?"

"Oh, yes. If that's alright." April replied.

"Hi!" Chirped the Trio as they emerged to greet the humans. "I'm Sakura." Sakura said.

"Great to see you! I'm Hoseki" Hoseki waved.

"I'm Oki! We were helping Don hook up hoses!" Okami added. I smiled.

"That's enough, girls. Go, uh, see what Mister Splinter needs you to do to make the house clean." The Trio nodded and left without complaint. I've trained them well.

"So, how's the preparations coming?" April asked cheerily. Don smiled back.

"Great. Rocky and I just finished, actually." He said, with a bigger smile at me.

"It's-it's the least I can do. After all, I am kind of useless if I'm not helping in some way..." Don rolled his eyes, grinned at me, and left to put his toolbox away. He had been tinkering with a fifth Shell-cell for me to stay in touch in an emergency. I followed him into the lab.

"You're certainly not useless, Rocky. You or your sisters. You have brought a new look at why we need to do this. For people like you, who would never know what had happened when Shredder makes his move, whatever that is. And people like April and Casey, who have gotten involved in our crazy world." Don said as he came back toward us. I blushed at his generous words of comfort. He always seemed to know what to say...

He gave me a quick, loving kiss.

"Uh...Well, that escalated quickly, didn't it?" Casey muttered. He, evidently, had followed us. And April, standing right beside him. I quickly pulled away, and tucked hair behind my ear. Don hurriedly picked up a tool and heaved it up onto a hook on a wall covered with other various construction tools.

"Casey!" April whined sternly, whacking his arm. "If it's how they both feel, who's to stop them?" She growled. Casey chuckled with a bit of nervousness, hands up as he backed away.

"I-I'm gonna go talk to Raph, see yah!" He said, and left. Don laughed.

"Classic Case. Anyway...how's those floor plans coming?" He asked, putting another tool on the wall. April then cracked a smug smirk. I bent over and picked up a stray screwdriver.

"Done! Got all of 'em, no problem!"

"And the-they never realized what you were up to?" Don asked, grunting as he put a large drill up on a fairly high slot. April chuckled.

"I told you, I know the system. They never had a clue." I didn't know what was going on, but I could tell that this was something already a day or two in the making. I had been here for one, trying not to get in the way of everyone going about their daily business, which meant I was keeping the girls occupied with scavenging for the Hamatos in return for their hospitality. It was really the least I could do. I knew how to do scavenge, as opposed to other things, like plan an invasion of a seriously secured building.

"Great!" Don cheered. "You two want sandwiches? We had a few left..."

"Nah. We just ate. Or, _I_ did. I'm not sure about Case, though..." She trailed off.

"I'm sure he's fine, April." Don assured absently. He was typing on the computer, with that focused look that made my knees suddenly weak. "I mean, if he needs something, we've got pizza and those leftover sandwiches. We drank all the root-beer, though." He said, with a definite distracted air about it. He finished whatever he was doing on the computer, and leaves to grab his bo from beside the Battle-Shell, where he'd left it when he had to crawl under the huge vehicle.

Dang. I really am a third wheel here, aren't I, with this whole invasion thing going on? Oops. Oh well. I can't honestly say that I would take back anything that's happened in the past few days.

"Hey, Rocky, you wanna come watch our pre-patrol training?" He said it so casually, like it really was just a patrol. It didn't really help, but it was sweet of him to try. "After that, it'll be a run-down of what we are gonna do, and then...we're heading out."

"Certainly, Donnie." I replied, taking his proffered arm. This was my only opportunity to watch them in action before...they got to work. I had always been out, making sure I had enough to make a celebratory feast when the Hamatos came back. I would wait for news, then start. It would be a full-on Asian style meal, to pay homage to their evident preferred ethnicity, though they seemed like regular American teens to me. Which meant I would have to look up sushi recipes...

=#=#=#=#=

"Wow. I mean, you told me you guys were ninjas, but that...that was incredible!" I breathed, my praises echoed by my sisters beside me.

"Yes. It was quite something. Thanks!" Sakura gushed politely. Seriously, I did too good a job on her mannerism training.

"Totally wicked!" Hoseki giggled, hardly sitting still. Hoseki was always the first to start gushing, alongside-

"Why'd you stop?" Oki, ever the bubbly one, squeaked, gushing at all the turtles, who simply chuckled.

"Thank you." Leo said, nodding curtly. He still seemed a little tense around me and my sisters. Does he really not like us? Do we crowd the Lair up too much for him? Oops. We still don't have any real place to stay. Not really. Maybe I should look for a place we can fix up while I wait for the guys to get back. That would help my anxiety. We exited the dojo once the lesson was concluded, and found April and Casey waiting, chatting and laughing. I could see that they were great people, even though I had just met them. I'm a great judge of character like that. There was a tension in the air as the group spoke of their plans one last time that spoke heavily of the seriousness of this situation. I knew the stakes, as did everyone.

This could be the end of the Hamatos. Or it could be their triumphant return.

Only time will tell.

**CLIFFIES FOR DAYS! ;) **

**BUT SERIOUSLY, IT'S REALLY A GREAT LITERARY TECHNIQUE THAT IS EMPLOYED BY SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE, BETTER THAN ME. I'M JUST A PERSON WHO IS FAR TOO INTO MY VARIOUS FANDOMS...HOPE YOU*YAWN*LIKE, ELIZABETH, OR WAS IT LIZZIE? EITHER WAY...*YAWN*... **

**I NEED SLEEP...ZZZ**


End file.
